anyhow

American  

[en-ee-hou] / ˈɛn iˌhaʊ /

adverb

1. in any way whatever.

2. in any case; at all events.

3. in a careless manner; haphazardly.

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anyhow British  

/ ˈɛnɪˌhaʊ /

adverb

1. in any case; at any rate

2. in any manner or by any means whatever

3. in a haphazard manner; carelessly

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Etymology

Origin of anyhow

First recorded in 1730–40; any + how ¹

Compare meaning

How does anyhow compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• anyhow vs. anyway

Explanation

Use the adverb anyhow to emphasize or support something you've just said. You might say, "I'm not going to bother studying those dates for history class — they're not going to be on the test anyhow." The word anyhow is usually just another way to say anyway. You could say, for example, "I won't be going for a run today, not if it's as hot as yesterday anyhow." Another way to use anyhow is to mean "in a haphazard way" or "randomly." Your mom might complain that people just toss things in the fridge anyhow. The word has been used in American English since the mid-1700s.

Example Sentences

Most people can focus only for three or four hours at a stretch, anyhow, so trying to work for eight solid hours isn’t really an effective use of your attention span.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Fulham will have Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze and Calvin Bassey back from the Africa Cup of Nations, and I am not reading too much into their last-gasp defeat at Leeds last week anyhow.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

Whether he was faking it then or is faking it now is almost irrelevant anyhow.

From Slate • Sep. 16, 2024

In reality, we can’t just swap bodies to find out — but love beckons us to try anyhow.

From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2024

She pulls out the homework anyhow and asks me ten thousand questions about the math problems.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake

Related Words

• anyway